Bellafricker.co.uk - Full Story
Michaelchurch: a prep for Great Britain's Red Dragon, with Relentless rain, Riding through actual clouds with zero visibility, Slippery sheep-grazed moorland tracks, Freezing cold, lost three times, and watching my horse’s legs disappear underneath him — twice.
September 9 2025
by Bella Fricker
As I’m sure you know by now, my big aim this season is to take Chip to Red Dragon at the end of September. It’s one of the UK’s most iconic endurance rides, set in the Welsh hills, and it’s got a reputation for being both stunning and seriously tough. The kind of ride that will either give you the best memories of your season or completely humble you.
Living just north of Milton Keynes, my daily reality couldn’t be further removed from those Welsh mountains. My training options are flat grassy headlands, a few purpose-built woodchip tracks, and that’s about it. No long climbs, no moorland, no technical descents. Nothing that prepares you for Red Dragon terrain.
So after completing the 64km CER at Avon Valley last month, I knew I had the slow conditioning miles in the tank — but the hills? We desperately needed them. I managed a few trips out for hill sessions, but the big focus was on Michaelchurch, a September Endurance GB ride in the Black Mountains. Three weeks before Red Dragon. Perfect timing...
Read more here:
https://www.bellafricker.co.uk/post/ride-report-michaelchurch-testing-the-waters-before-red-dragon
No comments:
Post a Comment